Pirriya
Birria
Native toAustralia
EthnicityBidia
Extinct(date missing)
Pama–Nyungan
  • (unclassified,
    possibly Karnic)
    • Pirriya
Language codes
ISO 639-3xpa
Glottologpirr1240
AIATSIS[1]L36
ELPPirriya

Pirriya (also Birria, Bidia, Kunggari, Kulumali, and Kungadutji) is an extinct and unclassified Australian Aboriginal language.[1] It was spoken by the Bidia people (also known as Biria) of the western and central western Queensland, including Barcoo Shire, Whitula Creek, Cooper Creek, and Jundah.[2][3]

It is not to be confused with the Biri language and its dialects, also a Queensland language, spoken by the Biria people.

Classification

Geographically it lay between the Karnic and Maric languages, but had no obvious connection to either; the data is too poor to draw any conclusions on classification.[4] Dixon (2002)[5]: xxxiii  classes Pirriya with Kungkari as a subgroup of the Maric languages while Breen (1990) suggests it may be a Karnic language.[6]: 64 

Phonology

Consonants

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Labial Velar Dental Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive p k t̪ c t/d ʈ
Nasal m ŋ n̪ ɲ n ɳ
Rhotic r
Lateral (l̪) ʎ l ɭ
Approximant w j ɻ

The dental /l̪/ only rarely occurs.

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i iː u (uː)
Low a aː

The long /uː/ is considered rare.[7]

Vocabulary

Some words from the Birria language, as spelt and written by Birria authors include:[3]

  • Billar: spear
  • Binoor: bandicoot
  • Boorong: rock
  • Bowra: kangaroo
  • Burlo moori: good day
  • Gulburri: emu
  • Noka: water
  • Ullatah: moon

References

  1. 1 2 L36 Pirriya at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ↑ This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Pirriya published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 30 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Birria published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 30 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Bowern, Claire (2001). "Karnic classification revisited". In J Simpson; et al. (eds.). Forty years on. Canberra Pacific Linguistics. pp. 245–260. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: their nature and development. Cambridge University Press.
  6. ↑ Breen, Gavan (1990). Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages (PDF). Pacific Linguistics B-105. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  7. ↑ Blake, Barry J.; Breen, Gavan (1990). Pirriya. In Gavan Breen (ed.), Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages: Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. pp. 6–21.


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